Xavier awakens to a gentle face hovering above him. Her skin is soft in the sunlight, and her short-cut hair is the color of the Whistling Tree. To some, she may be plain, but to him, she is breathtaking. For a moment, he wonders if he has died; she is beautiful enough to be an angel.
"Who...?" He tries to speak, but his jaw feels tired and his mouth is thick with something metallic tasting.
"Skén:nen," she says.
"Pretty...name..."
She smiles, her face glowing a soft, peachy pink. "Thank you. How do you feel?"
"Tired. Sore."
A cool hand brushes his forehead.
"Your fever broke last night," says Skén:nen. "I was worried. You were burning like the sun."
"How long...?"
"Almost two weeks and a day."
"Theo?"
"He's told me he's alright, but he's scared. You should see him after you rest."
He sighs. Theo must be frightened. Leaving home, and then almost losing his father... Xavier feels terrible. He failed Emma. He's afraid of failing Theo, too. He's afraid he already has.
"Timothy?"
She huffs, the corners of her mouth turned up. "He's worried, as usual, but he knew you'd pull through. He says you have a strong heart. Now get some rest! I'll come back in a few hours, alright?"
He sighs, but nods. He's not sure why she is so insistent. Why rest? That's all he's done for an entire week, evidently.
She grins, pats his shoulder, and quietly slips out of the room. The door closes behind her, and he is left to stare at the ceiling. Timothy said he had a strong heart? He'd laugh if it wasn't so painfully ironic.
Xavier does as Skén:nen has suggested, and closes his eyes. For some time he lays there, unable to sleep. His mind is awake, putting thoughts into his head. He can't seem to stop worrying. He still feels ill. His chest aches. His head feels light.
He can still hear her, someplace in the back of his memories, saying such awful things. Not good enough. Useless. Terrible father. Worthless. Weak. There are much worse things, but he tries his hardest to block them out.
Now more miserable than tired, he forces himself to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
Little Blue Strings
General Fiction**COMPLETED** This is the story of Life, Death, a lonely human, and all those other names and faces that linger or are forgotten by time. It is a story of the violent and chaotic world, and the places in which, every now and then, everything is stil...
